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Kenai River Campus celebrates commencement Thursday

Around Campus

Posted: Wednesday, May 09, 2007

KPC’s Kenai River Campus 2007 commencement ceremony will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Renee C. Henderson Auditorium at Kenai Central High School.

This year, four master’s degrees, 14 bachelor degrees (four-year), 88 associate degrees (two-year) and 37 certificates or welding certifications (one-year) will be awarded. In addition, KRC will award 50 GED diplomas to students. A number of academic awards and scholarships will be announced at the ceremony.

The keynote speaker will be Mike Beck, KPC alumni, class of 1984. Beck served as student union president from 1982-1984 and graduated with a degree in process technology. Beck currently works for ConocoPhillips in the Alpine field.

Valedictorians were selected by KRC faculty. Two valedictorians were selected to represent graduates receiving two-year and four-year degrees. Anika Chase was named as the associates valedictorian and Denaya DeVolld the bachelors valedictorian.

The musical selection will be performed by the Mother Earth Kenaitze Drummers. Musical accompaniment for the ceremony, including the processional and recessional, will be provided by KRC adjunct faculty and professional pianist Maria Allison.

The public is invited to attend the event. A reception for the graduates and their families will immediately follow the ceremony in the foyer of the auditorium. Entertainment at the reception will be provided by KRC student Chris Pepper and an art display will be provided by the KRC Art Students’ League Association.

Driftwood 2007 available

Editor Dr. Barb Christian announced the release of the 2007 volume of Driftwood, KRC’s literary and visual arts magazine. Driftwood 2007 features poetry, stories and essays by writers from Alaska and across the United States. The cover and 13 art pages represent KRC student art in a variety of media. The 128-page book may be purchased for $8 at the KPC Bookstore.

Kenai Peninsula College’s Anchorage Extension Site offers two-year degrees in process technology and occupational safety and health. The faculty at the AES recently received notice that Patricia Hickok, a student pursuing an occupational safety and health associate of applied science degree, had her paper, “Cultural and Language Barriers for the HSE Professional,” recognized as an honorable mention in the University of Alaska Anchorage 2007 Student Showcase. Hickok wrote the paper for the class “Workplace Injury and Incident Evaluation,” taught by professor Mike Schowen.

KRC psychology students impress judges

Five KRC psychology majors recently presented their research at the annual Behavioral Science Conference of the North (BSCN) at UAA. The annual conference brings together professionals, educators and students to look at current issues and research in the behavioral sciences.

Dr. Shelley Theno, psychology professor at the Kenai River Campus, traveled to the conference with her students who each presented research projects they had completed this semester. Dr. Theno served as one of eight faculty judges at the conference.

The conference has student poster presentations, student oral presentations and keynote speakers. Keynote speakers included Dr. Kristen Harrison from the University of Illinois, who spoke to the relationship between media messages and self-image and how these relate to development of poor body image and eating disorders. Stephenie Chaudoir, a PhD candidate from the University of Connecticut, shared her research findings on how self-objectification affects cognitive performance. Juan Barbachano, a student in UAA’s Master of Science in clinical psychology program, and his identical twin sister, Liana Hoemke, shared their experiences growing up in Alaska and the factors that led Juan to change his gender identity from female to male.

KRC student Jeremy Brantley won second place for the undergraduate research poster, “A Measure of Indiscrete Discrimination Present in Web-Based College Courses,” from a field of 16 student submissions. This marks the third year Brantley has attended the conference. He will be receiving his bachelor of arts in psychology at the KRC commencement.

Randy Ashford, also graduating with his bachelor of arts in psychology, presented his research poster, “Coexistence Dynamics: Testing an Integrative Model of Human Conflict.” This is also Ashford’s third year participating in the event.

Cassie Pulley presented “Does Sex Sell? The Effects of Sexual Imagery on Perception of Characteristics.” Pulley received an honorable mention for her poster.

Dr. Theno was pleased with how her students fared. “UAA faculty said KPC had an impressive showing at the conference,” said Theno.

KRC schedules year-end faculty and staff meeting

Kenai Peninsula College’s Kenai River Campus in Soldotna will be closed Friday for an academic year-end meeting of faculty, staff and administration. The college apologizes for any inconvenience this closure may cause the public.